


As Night Falls

by NekoIzumi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oral Sex, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-06
Packaged: 2017-12-17 22:28:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/872672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoIzumi/pseuds/NekoIzumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto leaves home to get over the betrayal from his father and best friend... and finds love where he sure hadn't expected to find it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As Night Falls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrplGrl](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=PrplGrl).



> This little story is a direct sidefic from PrplGrl’s When Morning Comes chapter 5. I hadn’t read the last chapters when I wrote this and since I’m not the original author there's bound to be differences. I hope you enjoy this work either way as it wouldn’t leave me alone until it was written.

“What do you want?” the Nara mumbled lowly not really being able to look at the other. For that the other was far too similar to his dad.“He’s the only one I've got, you know?” came the low murmur, causing Shikamaru to look up… right in time to catch a key. He stared at it recognizing the happy frog sticker on the metal. “And he chose you.” the blonde continued but turned to the door before the brunet could as much as think of an answer. “Take care of him, will ya?” Naruto mumbled over his shoulder without as much as looking at the other male.  
With those words he closed the door softly behind him.

And first Shikamaru only stared, blinking comically for several minutes at the house key in his hand not really sure what to do with it… but then it sunk in. This key lead to Minato!  
He shot up like a bedspring and rushed out of the room not hearing Chouji shout behind him. For whatever reason the younger blonde had suddenly approved and the Nara didn’t care what that reason was as long as he could see Minato!

He thundered out of the house, ignoring his dad, ignoring the curious lady next door, ignoring the pouring rain, just ignoring everything… and kept on running.

Naruto sat in a cab a bit further up the street, watching through the car window how the usually lazy genius sprinted in the direction of the Namikaze's house through the heavy downpour. Sunny bangs hid blue eyes… but couldn’t hide the tears running down whiskered cheeks.

“Station, please.” he pressed out monotonously. “I have a train to catch.”

-

By the time he stood on the blonde’s porch Shikamaru wheezed for air had he run a marathon… carrying Chouji on his back. This one door that had seemed like such an impenetrable barrier before was suddenly open to him, through the key in his hand he could now get back in there… get back in to the man he had loved for so long.  
Swallowing hard Shika raised a slightly trembling hand to put the key in the lock. It took him a few tries but when he finally succeeded the door slid open without a sound. He took one step over the threshold not really paying any attention to the puddle he was causing on the hallway floor.  
“Minato?” he called unsurely. Another step. “Minato? It’s me, Shikamaru.” He closed the door. Hearing muffled sounds from the living room the young Nara went there… and stared at the man sitting in the couch. “Minato?” he called softly. His heart clenched when the blond turned to him, revealing devastated whisker less features.  
“I don’t really understand.” Minato pressed out. “I broke it off, why did he leave?”  
“So you can be with me.” came the low answer. Shikamaru opened his palm to show the key. “He removed himself from the equation.”

Blue eyes stared at the shiny metal, slowly filling with tears.  
“He gave you his house key?” the older man croaked, earning a nod. “Oh Gods…”

“Where-… where is he staying if I have his key?” Shika asked carefully. After all, it was a quite reasonable question in this situation.  
“Dorm.” came the surprisingly dull answer. “He applied only days after our date. Everything happened so fast my head was still spinning when he put the transfer papers in front of me saying he was going to another college.”  
“Why didn’t you stop him?” the Nara murmured. He was shivering but didn’t know if it was from the chilly air on his wet skin or if it was from being so close to this one man right here.  
Sad blue eyes met his.  
“…because you hadn’t come to school for a week.”

Both males sat there in silence for a while, each in their own thoughts, when Shikamaru voiced the one question they were both thinking about.  
“Now what?”  
Minato sighed deeply, rubbing his face… but then met those longing eyes, eyes he had missed so much.  
And Naruto had seen it.  
“You already have a key.” he murmured. “Use it.”

-

Trying desperately to forget what had happened, why and what it had all lead to, Naruto focused all his energy on the one thing available. School. Subjects he had struggled with before suddenly seemed so easy when he put all his time and concentration into homework, assignments and papers. And yet it wasn’t enough. He slept bad, tried eating though he wasn’t hungry, always focusing on that one book he always made sure to have with him.

And yet when Thanksgiving came around he found himself restless. He had gotten a card for his birthday, signed by his dad only, but hadn’t written or called back. He simply didn’t have anything to say to the other man… and that’s why he hesitated to answer when the phone rang and he saw the number on the display.  
Biting his lip he finally grabbed it and tried sounding cheeky when he answered.  
“Bubbah here, talk to me, sexy.”  
_“Na- Naruto?”_ came the unsure question. _“Is that you?”_  
The smile in his voice was so forced the Uzumaki himself cringed. He absentmindedly scratched the back of his head.  
“Dad? Oh, I thought it was someone else. Sorry.” he chirped.  
_“No, it’s okay._ ” the other said lowly and then hesitated. “ _It’s-… its thanksgiving in a few days.”_ Minato murmured. _“When do you want me to pick you up at the station?”_  
Naruto closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

“Yeah, about that-” he began… but stopped when he heard a voice in the background, a younger voice… a male voice he recognized very well. “You don’t.” he continued, slapping energy he didn’t have back into the conversation. “I'm kind of invited to a bud’s family so I’ll be celebrating with them, they wouldn’t let me say no.” he grinned. Oh how plastic was fantastic. “Don’t worry, I’ll see ya some other time.”  
_“You’re not coming home?”_ The voice sounded devastated.

The Uzumaki though ignored it. Besides, it wasn’t **his** home anymore.  
“Like I said, they wouldn’t take no for an answer and you're not exactly alone either, are you?”  
_“Naruto-”_  
“He moved in, didn’t he? As soon as I left he moved in.” the younger blonde interrupted. He was suddenly too tired to pretend, too angry to listen… too hurt to care and this conversation drained him of what little energy he had had left. The silence on the other end was all he needed to know. He had been replaced.  
_“Yes, but-”_  
“Then be freaking happy and make this shit worth it.” he interrupted again. “Eat your damn turkey and mashed potatoes, cuddle up in the couch with hot chocolate and be **thankful** that you're together.” he snapped. “That was Thanksgiving is all about. Gratitude.”  
_“You’re my son!”_ Minato pressed out. _“You’re my family!”_

“You should’ve thought of that when you sat alone in the dark living room at night thinking about your lover and drinking whiskey you haven’t touched since mom died.” came the low answer. “You made your choice the second you touched that bottle.” Naruto ran a hand through his hair when he heard a barely audible sob through the phone. Seriously, when had his old man turned into such a cry-baby? He sighed. “I need to get a move on. I’ll call ya.” Having said that he hung up, threw the phone on the bed and returned to the books. He had no intentions whatsoever of calling back.

-

It was only hours later when a growling stomach lured him out of his room that he realized how many hours had passed. It was dark out but then again, at this time of year the sun set early. Naruto whined when he opened the fridge only to find it empty… save for a piece of green fuzz that he had a vague memory of having once been a cheese. Closing the fridge door he returned to his room mentally writing a shopping list while snooping up his wallet. Campus had been pretty much deserted since after the last class that day and the silence was surprisingly refreshing. It was odd being the only one left when everybody else had went home for the weekend.

Yeah, he had lied about celebrating Thanksgiving with a friend but can you really blame him? His **dad** was dating his best **friend** … _former_ best friend, he corrected while tying his shoelaces. It still made his gut churn remembering that Shikamaru had imagined him being Minato when they had had sex. A movie star or whatever, was one thing, but his old man? Sure that father and son were almost eerily similar to one another but still, that was disgusting.  
Half his set of genes came from the same pair of balls that probably emptied their load in the Nara's ass on a regular basis… an ass that Naruto had released in as well.

For a moment all the Uzumaki could do was close his eyes and breathe deeply to rid himself of the nausea. He loved the fucker, dammit! He had fallen for the damn bastard and then been hit in the face with this!  
Feeling more down than ever Naruto threw his jacket on, grabbed his keys and went to the store.

There sure were no turkeys on the menu but he wasn’t really in the mood for any either, not to forget he didn’t exactly have the rightly equipped kitchen to prepare one. Also, all this thinking of depressing things had made him lose his appetite.

Muttering profanities under his breath he simply shoved some stuff in the basket, turned around-… and just by a hair missed catching the lady he accidentally bumped into causing her to crash to the floor.

“Oh, I'm so sorry, ma’am, I didn’t see you an-” Whiskered cheeks abruptly lost their colour when the _lady_ turned around. _‘There goes my scholarship. Goodbye, fabulous future.’_ “Oh, shit…” he squeaked.

“Who’re you calling ‘ma’am’, Uzumaki?” came the low voice as a pair of very pissed off eyes turned to glare at the cold sweating blonde. Naruto screwed his eyes shut, quickly pulling the older man to his feet by the outstretched hand.  
“I'm so sorry, Hyuuga-sensei.” he pressed out mentally wondering why the hell he hadn’t stayed at home after all. Hadn’t there been **anything** edible in the fridge? “I only saw long hair and a small person and I assumed it was a girl and someone please shut me up before I dig a deeper grave for myself!” He laughed desperately trying to ignore how his voice nearly reached falsetto at the end. Not to forget he very clearly saw how a slim dark eyebrow slowly rose at him.  
“Are you under the influence of anything, Uzumaki?”

The blonde wanted to cry. Out of all the teachers in the entire university why did he have to knock over and insult the only one that gave him a hard time in class!?  
“Only hunger!” he pressed out again. “I've only had breakfast today, sensei.”  
The raven scrutinized him for a minute but then nodded hesitantly. He still watched the squirming younger man when he bent down and tanned hands hurried to pick up the dropped groceries… along with the older man’s glasses that luckily had survived the crash and resulting fall.  
“It’s a bit late to get out on the road at this time.” he mumbled lowly, gratefully accepting the handed glasses and putting them back on after having checked them for cracks. “So I guess you'll take the train home. When are you leaving?”

Blue eyes blinked up at him from where the Uzumaki was still picking up veggies, cans and bags, trying to remember what belonged to whom.  
“Train?” he asked.  
The other dark brow rose slowly.

“Yeah. You're not going home during the holidays?” came the incredulous question.  
Wiping all expressions off Naruto fished up the last escaped bottle, put it in the right basket and rose to his feet, handing it to the slightly shorter man.  
“That seems to be the case.” he mumbled while grabbing his own things. “I'm sorry I bumped into you, sensei, and I'm sorry I called you a woman, it really is my mistake. Happy Thanksgiving.” Having bowed and earned a curt nod the Uzumaki headed straight for the checkout. He'd be lucky if he didn’t flunk the Hyuuga's course altogether after this.  
Behind him he left a contemplating teacher.

-

After the humiliating encounter at the supermarket Naruto took to sitting at the very far back during the raven’s classes. That way he wouldn’t have to see the older man too well and the Hyuuga wouldn’t see the seemingly constant blush on whiskered cheeks. Calling a man that’s so very obviously _reeking_ with testosterone a woman, and a small one at that, is humiliating no matter how you look at it. Too bad though that Neji was onto him and refused to cooperate.

Pale eyes watched the silent blonde as the raven leaned against the desk, white teeth tentatively chewing on a hoop to the frameless glasses.  
“There are 200 seats in this lecture hall and including those who skipped today’s class, there are 100 students here.” he said calmly, getting everyone’s attention from the books. “You **are** allowed to come closer, Uzumaki, there's a vacant seat right here in the front so why won’t you take it?”  
“No, thank you, sensei. I'm fine right here.” the blonde pressed out, clearly heard in the auditorium.  
The raven raised an eyebrow, watching the once again squirming Uzumaki.  
“I won’t bite, I promise.”

A rather intense pink spread on whiskered cheeks as the entire assembly laughed out loud. Naruto didn’t really deserve this, did he?  
“Thank you for the offer but I’ll pass.”  
“ **Seat,** Uzumaki.” came the firm order. “I have no intentions of straining my voice just for your sake, now move.”  
Mentally whimpering the blonde had no choice but to obey.

-

Not that he didn’t try though. Uzumaki Naruto had always been stubborn and it didn’t take particularly long for Neji to find out the hard way. The permanently tanned man made damn sure to always be the last one in, only on the right side of late, when he knew all the front seats were taken. He answered questions when told to but otherwise kept his activity in class to an absolute minimum. It was starting to irk the older man.  
And Neji being who he was didn’t like distractions… and took it out in class.

After his last class before Christmas the students leaving the auditorium were bordering on crying. Not only had they been given homework over the holidays, they were required to write a 15 page essay as well.  
Considering the subject the Hyuuga was teaching, that was nothing but plain evil. This time though, Neji wasn’t going to let the blonde get away. He had been avoided with a master’s skill long enough but that was all coming to an end today. A minute before the bell run out he struck.

“Have a happy holiday, everyone, and don’t forget the essay. Part of your grade **will** be based on it.” Ivory eyes  turned to the Uzumaki at the far back, already preparing himself in the starting-blocks. “Oh, and Uzumaki, meet me in my office in 5 minutes. We need to talk.”  
_‘Bull’s eye.’_ Neji thought when the bell rang the next second and the blonde was herded out by tired classmates wanting to go home as fast as possible. _‘You can avoid me in class but not in my office, brat.’_  
Finally being alone in the auditorium the raven gathered his things whistling on a little tune.

-

Naruto fidgeted sitting in a chair outside the teachers section. He hadn’t really done anything to be called in there, had he? Normally, only party animals and delinquents were called in, along with those that were bordering flunking out, and the blonde didn’t really think he belonged in any of those categories. He attended all classes, handed in all assignments on time, he didn’t party particularly… to sum it up, he had become a swot.

The nervous expression abruptly dulled. He had become a new Shikamaru, just without the high IQ and cigarettes. Beautiful. Resting his elbows on his knees he rubbed his face tiredly mentally groaning. He still remembered the times when they had fucked, when he unknowingly had been used as a substitute for his old man. No wonder the Nara had been so into their little ‘deal’… or used it as much as he had.  
“…what's torturing you, Uzumaki?”  
Cerulean eyes snapped open… only to stare. The Hyuuga was crouching right in front of him, a hint of worry in those lavender eyes behind their half-framed glasses.

At first there was nothing for him to say, he was completely speechless as he just plain stared at the pale features right there in front of him. He saw the slim eyebrows weren’t plucked but rather they grew naturally in that thin curve, the oh so light ivory coloured eyes seemed penetrating in their intensity, only enhanced by the lack of black pupils.  
“Nothing!” he croaked out. “Nothing at all!”

The raven though, didn’t buy it. He rose to his feet, nodding for the younger male to follow.  
“We’ll take this in private.” he mumbled. Having opened the door to the area strictly for teachers Neji turned around towards the other… only to see that the Uzumaki wasn’t following. No, he sat in that chair, his head hanging just enough for blonde bangs to cover blue eyes… as tears rolled down whiskered cheeks. He didn’t sniffle, didn’t hulk, just sat there silently without moving. Naruto didn’t bother to hide it, what use was there when the Hyuuga already knew something was wrong? None.

-

But it hadn’t really occurred to him until now… that he was completely alone.  
Those two had each other like they wanted, they could comfort each other but there was no one for **him** because the one he loved was living a ‘marital’ life with Naruto's **father.** There was no one he could go to and now the one teacher he preferred keeping his distance to suddenly seemed to care.  
Eyelashes glittering with tears fluttered closed when a strong pale hand carefully landed on his shoulder.  
“Uzumaki?” the raven said softly. “Are you okay?”

Still voiceless the blonde only shook his head. No, he was **not** okay! His own **dad** had chosen someone else over **him** , someone he had considered his best friend, someone he had fallen in love with had done the same so no, he was **not** okay! “I’ll get you some water.” that low voice said before the older man with a deep sigh went to the water dispenser just around the corner. The Uzumaki though couldn’t handle more humiliation.  
He screwed his eyes shut, took a deep breath… and fled.

-

The phone had been ringing so many times he had lost count but that didn’t mean he was going to answer it any time soon, nuh uh, he'd  let it ring until the batteries died  and only then would he be able to relax. But somehow the thought of simply turning the thing off didn’t appeal to him either.  
“That’s one stubborn woman right there.” Naruto's roommate sighed while shoving things into his bag. “Girlfriend or mother?”  
“Neither.” came the calm answer. “It’s just a salesman.”  
A dubious brow rose as the GummiBears-intro started playing… again.  
“Damn persistent one, don’t you think?”  
“I promised him I’d buy a vacuum if he called me a hundred times, he's reaching 50.” the blonde muttered while trying to focus on the book in front of him. Funny how people had pegged him as simply stupid before when it in fact turned out he was at the top of most of his courses… excluding a certain dark-haired man’s.  
A blonde brow rose when the other picked his phone up… and answered.

“Welcome to Bubbah’s Brothel.” he husked, smirking when blue eyes widened comically. “For the fastest reservation please dial a following number. Press 1 for heterosexual woman, 2 for heterosexual man, 3 for homosexual woman, 4 for homosexual man, 5 for heterosexual couple or press 6 for homosexual couple. For more information please hold on or press * to repeat.”

Naruto threw himself at the other and only due to his sheer bulk did he manage to take the phone from the laughing man.  
“Idiot!” he hissed having snapped the cell phone closed. “Stupid dillhole!”  
“He pressed a number!” came the loudly laughed answer. “He pressed something! I wonder what he chose!”  
“Who cares? Just grab your stuff and leave, will ya? You're gonna miss the train like you did last time.” the Uzumaki ground out through tightly gritted teeth. The other though just grabbed his stuff, laughing harder when the phone rang again, and went out.  
“Whatever. Merry Christmas, man. See ya next year.”

Naruto sat on the bed in the room as he heard the front door slam shut… and with a sigh answered the call.  
“Uzumaki here.” he sighed.  
_“Naruto… it’s dad.”_  
“Hi, dad.” he answered obediently.  
_“How are you doing? Is everything alright?”_  
“I'm fine.” the blonde mumbled. “Nothing new to report.”  
_“Oh, that’s okay. How's school?”_  
“I'm no genius but I’ll manage. Speaking of which, how's your genius?”  
_“He’s-… he's in the kitchen making dinner.”_ came the low answer.  
“Good to hear that he at least puts an effort in for ya.” the younger blonde mumbled wanting nothing more than to end this very awkward conversation.  
His phone _beep_ ed announcing low battery levels. Finally.

_“When will you come home for Christmas?”_ Minato asked carefully. _“I really miss you.”_  
“Thanks for the invite but last time I checked that place wasn’t my home anymore. I’ll stay right where I am, thank you very much.”  
_“You're not coming home for Christmas?”_ the Namikaze pressed out. _“Why not!? We’ve always celebrated Christmas together! Shikamaru will go home to spend it with Shikaku!”_  
“Do you in all honesty think it’s that simple?” Naruto asked lowly. “I can’t look at either of you because I feel sick when I remember everything and I highly doubt you two want to spend the holidays that way either. Why don’t **you** celebrate with **both** Naras? That way his old man won’t have to be alone either.”  
_“I want to be with my son!”_  
Another beep.  
“Guess what, it’s not mutual.” the whiskered man answered coldly. “You could’ve been with me but you were so focused on Nara I felt shit worth in your presence. You moped around and sulked those entire 4 weeks because you weren’t with him so you really shouldn’t come running to me now. Be with Shikamaru, you love him, right?”  
_“Naruto…”_ the older blonde croaked. _“Please!”_  
“I can’t.” Naruto mumbled tiredly running a hand through his hair. “I just-… I can't.” he sighed. “Just leave me alone.”  
_“Please come ho-”_

Blue eyes fluttered closed. No more batteries. He had no intentions of recharging them either. And yet he felt so miserable. He had used to be so close to his dad, they had been best buds and told each other everything.  
But then Shikamaru happened. Both supposed to have been close to him… and yet neither had trusted him enough to tell him until he walked in on them.  
Ignoring the books for now Naruto huddled up under the cover and willed his restless mind to sleep.

-

Neji was just about to knock a seventh time when the door suddenly was hauled open and a pissed blonde snapped at him.  
“WHAT!?” cerulean eyes widened comically… and then whiskered cheeks paled. “Hy- Hyuuga-sensei!?” he squeaked… only to blush furiously when a dark slim eyebrow rose over the glasses at his state of undress. “Sh- Shower.” he managed to press out. He had had every intention of ignoring the door and head straight for the bathroom but after the fifth firm knock it had to wait when he realized whoever was at the door was one stubborn bastard.  
“Are you going to let me in or not, Uzumaki?” came the calm question.

At first the blonde only blinked at the older man, obviously stunned, but then he stepped aside, a vicelike grip on the too small for his comfort towel, that hung on his hips. “Thank you.” the raven said dryly, only absentmindedly appreciating the permanently tanned body unwillingly revealed to him. “So…” he mumbled, leaning a slender hip against the back of the couch in the living room. “Now I want you to tell me two things, why you're at the top of all your classes save for mine… and why you're refusing to go home.”  
Azure eyes nearly boggled. Talk about shooting straight from the hip!

“Wha-? I don’t-” he began but was cut off by a held up pale hand.

“Save the excuses, it’s not what I want to hear.” Calm ivory eyes watched the other curiously. “As a teacher I have access to all your records, including the ones from the chip in your campus ID. You're a straight A student… one that hasn’t left campus since he came here.” The scrutinizing look softened. “So I ask you again… what's torturing you, Uzumaki?”

“I'm-… nothing-… I'm not-… tortured…” Naruto pressed out lowly… but then gave up and sighed. “Let’s just say that a lot happened, okay?”  
“I'm all ears.” the Hyuuga murmured. “Don’t worry, whatever you decide to tell me will stay with me. I may be off the clock but I'm still bound by teacher-confidentiality.”

Suddenly very frustrated the Uzumaki ran a hand through his hair dishevelling it even more. He felt cornered and vulnerable, and **naked** , and he didn’t like it one bit.  
“ **Why** are you here, sensei?” he sighed. “Like you said, it’s your time off, shouldn’t you go home like everybody else during the holidays?”  
“I'm still on campus because one of my students cried in front of me… thinking it was a sign of weakness.” Neji said softly. “I would’ve gone home had I known that student had done the same.”  
Pleading blue eyes looked at him, begging him to turn away, to leave and forget he had ever seen anything… but he refused. The Hyuuga sighed. “Take that shower and get dressed. We’re going out.”  
“…what?”

-

“You’re fidgeting.”

“With all due respect, Hyuuga-sensei, but I think anyone would’ve done the same in my situation.” came the sour mumble. “I'm about to go to dinner with one of my professors.”  
“That’s what you get for being stubborn, brat.” Neji glanced at the sulking blonde in the passenger seat. “You could’ve not made me worry about you.”  
“ **You** could’ve been like every other teacher and not give a damn as long as I showed up in time for class.” the Uzumaki muttered. “And don’t call me a brat, you can’t be that much older than I am.”  
That if anything earned him a low chuckle as the Hyuuga geared smoothly.  
“You’re 21… I’m closer to 40 than 20.”  
“You sure don’t seem to age much.” came the brutally honest answer. “You don’t look like it at all.”  
“You should see my father, he hasn’t aged a day since he was 50.”

Naruto abruptly silenced and looked out the window. Minato didn’t exactly look his age either, probably one of many reasons as to why the Nara had fallen in love with him instead of Naruto.  
Neji ignored the thick silence, for now, and concentrated on driving instead. He'd get his answers soon enough.

-

Having gotten a table at a good restaurant, ordered and gotten their food, the Hyuuga waited about 5 minutes before pressing for those answers.  
“You refuse to go home.” he said calmly, holding up a hand in front of his mouth to finish chewing. “And from what I've heard so far I assume it’s family-related.” Having swallowed he lifted his water glass to sip. “Divorce, is that it?”  
“My mom died when I was a kid.” the blonde answered stiffly.  
“I'm sorry for your loss. There's a new lady in the house then I take it?”  
“Sort of.” Naruto muttered sourly, poking his fish. “I really do not want to talk about it, sensei.”  
“Fair enough. Then I want to know why you're almost flunking my course.”  
“Is this some kind of interrogation!?”

“Yup, I want to know why you're sailing through all your other subjects but struggling with the one I'm teaching. Mine is definitely the most important out of all the ones you're taking right now.”  
“Some of us just aren’t naturals at remembering all architectural features and characteristics of the countless different styles since man lived in a hut.”  
“Well, you'll have to learn because I'm sure you'll want to draw, plan and eventually build your very own unique brothel sometime in the future… right, _Bubbah_?”

Neji smirked at the complete and utter horror on whiskered features. He hummed over the delicious pasta, ignoring the furious blush. Instead he continued talking having swallowed the bite. “You’ll have to consider materials, layout, purpose and location as well as surroundings not to mention where and how to use storage space for pleasure toys, cleaning appliances, staff areas, security, delivery platforms etcetera etcetera. Do any of the rooms need reinforcements in the walls or ceilings due to certain themes, baths, reception area and so on and so forth. And of course you'll have to think about which services to offer and for which price. I'm sure you'll have to offer anal as well as vaginal and oral… and kinks too… and what kind of space you need for all of that.”  
“Sweet baby Jesus…!”  
“Running a brothel is like running any other business, Uzumaki, and since you're the architect behind your own firm you'll have to take more details into consideration.”  
“I do **not** run a brothel and neither do I want to!” the blonde hissed looking around to see if anybody had heard this ridiculous conversation. “I just suck at details!”  
“Then how about this, in turn for keeping me here you'll raise your grades?”  
“Easier said than done. I'm still too dense to grasp the concept of architectural history.”  
“No such thing. I’ll help you.”  
“Isn’t this called ‘favouring’?”

A dark brow rose slowly over the gleaming glasses.  
“I never said you were my favourite student.”  
“Wow, that’s some goodwill you have there.” Naruto murmured taking a sip of his water. He had lost his appetite again. “Not only do you sacrifice a small vacation for your non-favourite student, you're willing to waste time raising his grades as well. Aiming for the pearly gate, sensei?”  
“I didn’t say it was a waste of time.”  
“No, **I** did.” Blue eyes calmly met disturbed ivory. “I'm not interested in becoming your little pet project during the holidays but thank you for the offer, I appreciate it. Now please excuse me, I need to change location and hurl.” The Uzumaki didn’t bother waiting for an answer, only rose to his feet and left the raven sitting there completely thunderstruck.

-

Neji sighed where he sat by the kitchen table in his apartment absentmindedly nursing a cup of tea. Christmas was tomorrow… and he hadn’t heard from the blonde in two days. He hadn’t been able to reach him either.  
He wasn’t entirely sure what it was about the younger man that troubled him but he knew that there was something about the kid that simply made him feel ill at ease. Was it his build? That tall proud posture that loomed over everybody around him? Was it those keen blue eyes that seemed to see even the most trivial of things? Or was it the pure strength of will with which he kept himself from simply breaking down from whatever it was that haunted him? He had cried in such a way that someone who didn’t know what to look for would’ve easily missed it.

Neji sighed rubbing his face tiredly under the frames, looking out the window at the falling snow. He hadn’t lied when he said he had looked up the Uzumaki's records, truth was he had them right in front of him on the table. The kid sure hadn’t been much for studying before but then suddenly, half a year ago, something had happened that had made him hit the books… and he hit them hard. Naruto had gone from being a slightly below average student to suddenly earning a scholarship into one of the toughest programs here. He had moved across the country in a heartbeat and resolutely refused to return.  
Dammit! No one had been able to hide secrets from pale eyes before but this one kid hid them in plain sight!  
It worried him… it scared him.

-

Christmas Eve was one long day without end to Naruto. Feeling too restless to stay at home he had simply left the apartment in the middle of the soft snowy weather… and kept walking. Campus was completely deserted and without the noise of students it suddenly became eerie… but it did little to bother him. Besides, he wasn’t paying attention anyway. His mind was so full of thoughts, jumbled and confused that his head hurt. Minato and Shikamaru, his father and best friend… it all felt so surreal now, having caught them, confessed and been rejected, it felt like a bad dream more than anything else. He didn’t know how he could’ve missed the signs, now when he thought back on it there had been so many from Shika.

“Can you blame me for being angry and hurt, mom?” Naruto murmured lowly out into the softly falling snow. He didn’t really remember how he had ended up at the cemetery but somehow he had come here, to the remembrance garden. Completely pointless really, this wasn’t the one they had spread Kushina’s ashes over… and yet he felt as if she was there, listening. He had even brought flowers, vainly hoping the spirits here wouldn’t take too badly to him coming here when he was seeking the comfort of someone else. “Did you see this coming?” he asked. “Did you see how dad would choose the best friend of his son over his own child? Did you see?” Getting no reply and not expecting one the blonde sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

But it wasn’t the features of the Nara that filled his mind… but rather, those of a Hyuuga. Lucid ivory eyes that watched him fondly, lips that turned up in a smile for him, silky threads of dark hair sliding between his fingers like exquisite soy…

The Uzumaki buried his face in his hands and groaned out loud. Fabulous, absolutely fucking brilliant. Yet again he had fallen for someone untouchable and this time it wasn’t just a friend… it was a college professor.

Splendid. In stupidity measured this could be compared to the one time in kindergarten when he had accidentally called Iruka ‘mommy’. Seriously, he ought to know better than to make such stupid choices by now.

Well, it didn’t help that the raven had just been crowned as ‘Sexiest Teacher on Campus’, again, right about as the blonde transferred here or that those masses of dark hair had permanently tanned hands itching whenever the wind played with them. They looked soft and silky rather than the course horsehair that graced the Nara's head.

But Uzumaki Naruto had learned his lesson and wasn’t going to let that fat little cherub sting his sorry ass twice. Besides, he was hardly the only one looking in that direction seeing as the Hyuuga had had a few minor stalker issues, at least if you were to believe the gossip vine. “You’re laughing your ass off, aren’t ya, mom? Both your men turned out to be failures, one went for his kid’s playmate and the other lusts after his teacher.” Naruto pressed out another deep sigh. “What a fucking mess.”

-

Neji couldn’t believe his eyes as he drove down the street a good drive outside the city… and saw a figure half covered by snow huddle up against the bus stop in what little daylight there was left. Stepping on the break only absentmindedly thanking God he was alone on the road, he threw himself out of the car and rushed up to the blonde.  
“What the hell are you thinking!?” he hissed grabbing the taller male by the lapels of his jacket to pull him to his feet… and hopefully shake some sense into him. “It’s below 15 degrees and you're wearing Converse™ and a leatherjacket!? You want to give yourself pneumonia that bad!? Get in the car, damn brat!”

The look in blue eyes when the blonde looked at him sent chills down Neji's spine. He frowned but the Uzumaki didn’t say a single word, only looked at him, as if memorizing him… and then did as told.

The raven had no choice but to get back behind the wheel and drive him home. But instead of driving off he locked the car and followed the younger male up the stairs. Naruto didn’t object but he didn’t invite him in either, rather he just let the door stand open as he toed off his wet shoes and continued further into the apartment. Neji closed the door behind him with a low _‘click’_. This behaviour in the other was deeply disturbing.

“I refuse to go back home because someone is there.” came the low words towards him. “And if I'm there I don’t know what to say, feel or do… so I stay here and spare us all a lot of unnecessary suffering.”  
“Who is this ‘someone’?” Neji urged on lowly, soundlessly walking up to the blonde where he had flopped down on his bed, still with all the wet clothes on. His question earned him a shrug.  
“Fuckbuddy… best friend… a lot of titles can be accredited him.”  
“You still love him?” It wasn’t that difficult now to understand why the blonde kept his distance. It was because of a broken heart.

Naruto shook his head tiredly, not seeing how the snow in his hair melted and dripped on the carpet.  
“No, I'm not into him anymore.” he mumbled. “I **used** to love him.”  
“Then why won’t you go home?”  
“Because he moved in and I’d rather not lay awake at night listening to my old man screwing someone I grew up with and considered one of my best friends.” the blonde sighed. “He was chosen over me.”  
Ivory eyes widened.  
“Your-… old man?”

The Uzumaki nodded tiredly. This was the first time he talked about it all… and it hurt. More than he thought it would even after all this time.  
“Mmm. Shikamaru is dating my dad and they're living happily ever after.” His voice got a sharp edge of bitterness. “I caught them mid-foreplay in our kitchen and I my stupid fuck confessed only minutes after hoping he'd understand. He didn’t.” Long lashes only a nuance darker than the sun kissed mane fluttered closed. “While I had gone ahead and fallen in love he had only seen my dad in me. He pretended I was him when we had sex… considering I'm a younger copy of my pops it couldn’t have been too difficult.” Naruto lowered his head in defeat. “That’s why I won’t go back there… both chose the other over me.”

Neji watched the other silently. Now he knew why he cared so much about this stubborn youngster right here. Underneath the thin surface Naruto hid such despair, such long and never-ending suffering tortured him from within. That’s what made those bottomless cobalt blue eyes so keen… and unreadable. Having let the two people he loved be together he had become completely alone… and no one cared. Still silent the Hyuuga walked up to the blonde and crouched in front of him… gently letting pale hands cradle the whiskered features to lift them up and let their eyes meet. The Uzumaki wasn’t crying, he had no tears left to cry… he merely looked.

Calm ivory held that empty blue colour as Neji slowly leaned closer… and oh so tenderly pressed his lips to a cold pair… and stayed there. A breath later those incredible eyes widened, blinked at him in confusion.  
“You’re not my favourite student, Naruto.” the raven murmured against lips that were so much softer than he had imagined. “Because then this would be wrong.”

For a minute, two, who knew how many, the whiskered man only looked at the older man as the Hyuuga just brushed his lips over the blonde’s, again and again while holding that gaze. Until finally, hesitantly, unsurely, shyly, he answered the kiss earning a deep sigh. Neji pushed all thought about responsibilities, moral and rules aside and simply enjoyed the connection as pale hands slid down over the Uzumaki's throat and shoulders to grab the leather jacket and pull it off. He hadn’t had much of an appetite for sex for a long time now, much less lusted after one of his students, but now he wanted it, he needed it. His body felt it, this was right and it had already readied itself for more when permanently tanned hands suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders… and pushed him away.

“I don’t want any pity fucks!” Naruto croaked trying to clear his foggy mind.  
“I'm not offering any.” came the low answer. “Now, later and tomorrow, I want **you** , Uzumaki.” the raven rasped. “I don’t know your father or that other guy, I have no interest in either of them… but I **do** want you and it’s **your** name I’ll be whispering as you move in me.”

The blonde stared at the older man, saw the obvious lust in lavender coloured eyes behind the glasses. He wasn’t lying.  
It was about time he stopped suffering and started living again, right? Enough was enough.

Swallowing hard… he threw all common sense and caution to the wind and pulled the Hyuuga back into another desperate kiss.  
“Make it real.” he mumbled pulling at hindering clothing having pulled the frames off and put them safely aside. “Make it real!”

Neji didn’t answer, only continued fighting against the wet leather jacket. He wanted it off! And then the damp hoodie, off with it, right this instant! Having virtually ripped the t-shirt underneath off and away he leaned down to trail his lips and tongue over permanently tanned skin. _‘Too cold.’_ he thought dazedly. _‘He’s too cold!’_  
He didn’t give the blonde as much as a warning before moving to his feet trying to pull the Uzumaki along.  
“Bathroom.” he croaked. “You’re chilled down.”

The paler man groaned when that strong body abruptly pulled him back down and pressed him down into the mattress.  
“Then warm me up… _sensei_.”

Pale eyes almost rolled back when the low purr washed over him. He clung to strong shoulders, sinking his teeth into a nape when hips slammed against his, pressing one hard arousal against another. The sound it earned him went straight out into his bloodstream.  
“Fuck!” the Hyuuga growled. “If you catch a cold and get sick I’ll flunk you, Uzumaki!” he threatened.  
Naruto breathed one word over a sensitive ear before virtually turning the older man’s brain into mush.  
“Deal.”

The Hyuuga had barely time to grasp the answer much less reply when strong hands pulled his shirt out of his pants, slid in under and pushed his shoulders up to pull it over his head… and then explore. Neji hissed when the sensation of freezing hands followed by hot breath made goose bumps erupt all over his body in shudders. He groaned out loud when lips he wanted much more of ghosted up over his abdomen and sternum to his chest. There, suddenly the blonde slowed down… and savoured.

Naruto closed his eyes, simply breathing as he let the tip of his nose trace a firm pectoral to simply inhale the other man’s scent. Every now and then he let his lips brush the warm living marble that was the Hyuuga's skin, earning breathless gasps and low mewls. Only now had it occurred to him that what he had had with the Nara had been so sloppy. They had used each other to get off, neither had really cared about the deeper pleasure that only patience brought. Naruto didn’t want this to be like that… so he took his sweet time, driving his soon to be lover insane with need… and himself as well.  
“Dammit, Uzumaki, hurry up! I aint getting any younger!”

“You said this wasn’t a pity fuck.” the blonde’s low voice rumbled over the raven. “So I won’t treat it like one.” Having finally discarded the shirt the blonde looked right into frustrated ivory eyes. “I’ll give you all the chances you want to whisper my name, I’ll make you scream it until you're hoarse, but now I’ll take it slow so let me learn what you like… sensei.” Holding the pale gaze he dared the other man to complain.

Neji didn’t. Instead he looked into keen cerulean eyes, saw the challenge there… and nodded.  
He endured the gentle exploration, suffered through feather light touches because he knew the blonde needed it… and yet he had to bite his knuckles not to whimper as how breath ghosted over his loin. It had shook him in the very foundations how this youngster, half his age, could show such maturity when Neji had seen him dressed up as Vulpix during Halloween, a lost bet surely being the reason behind the choice in costume.

“Let it out.” he heard the low murmur from his thigh, earning a nip when he automatically shook his head. “Let your voice out, sensei, I want to hear it.”  
“No… I-… I can’t…”

The raven didn’t see the calm look in blue eyes but he soon enough found out what they had in mind. Ivory eyes snapped open in shock, a guttural groan ripped from his throat when his aching flesh was suddenly swallowed down to the root and the Uzumaki hummed.

Naruto ignored the pale hands flying to his hair, fisting the bright tresses, and focused on the hard cock in his mouth. He swallowed around it, hummed while holding restless hips down so they wouldn’t thrust and choke him. He worked that shaft with the precision of a master, alternating between sucking, swirling his tongue and using his throat until the Hyuuga was nothing more than a mess of want, nerves and short-circuiting synapses. He raven no longer cared that he was undulating as much as he could against the firm grip, he didn’t care that he mewled and moaned and cursed, the coil in his gut was pulled tighter and tighter until he'd snap with it.  
He wanted more.

“Please, please, I'm so close-, I need-, I can’t-…” he pressed out desperately tugging at the sun kissed mop of hair but not knowing if it was to get the other closer or away. It didn’t matter either because the next second that coil snapped and Neji swore on everything that was Holy he had never had a harder orgasm before.

By the time his head had stopped spinning and the black dots before his eyes had cleared, it was too late to protest against the situation he found himself in. Completely mortified he looked up… and saw that devilish tongue lap at his hole while strong permanently tanned hands spread firm buttocks. Horrified, and so fucking turned on it hurt, he couldn’t but stare as that pink appendage licked the rims of his pucker, pushing in only to retreat and then push in again. Stormy azure eyes held so much desire it had the paler man blushing under the intensity.  
“Tell me, Hyuuga-sensei…” the Uzumaki husked. “Do you want me to stretch you more or do you enjoy the sting of pain?”

Ivory eyes glanced down but his own longing body hid what he wanted to see. _‘He’s proportional.’_ Neji mentally gulped. _‘He has to be.’_ He licked his lips and met those incredible blue eyes.  
“I crave that pain more than you can imagine right now.” he pressed out.

Their eye contact didn’t break as the blonde openly licked at the winking hole before slowly lowering the Hyuuga's hips back to the sheets and spreading his legs wide open. Lavender coloured eyes darted to the whiskered man’s cock… and widened just a fraction. “More than you can **ever** imagine.” he mumbled watching with morbid fascination how the other moved closer to his ass. “You think saliva is enough lube?” He swallowed hard at the warm feeling of Naruto's dick sliding between his ass cheeks.

“No.” the younger male smirked, teasing the raven by pushing against the tight muscle but moving away when it yielded, only to repeat again and again. “Why do you think I blew you first?”  
“You used-…!?” The Hyuuga groaned when the head slipped in way too easily to have been lubricated with spit alone. “Oh Gods!”

Naruto watched intently the place where his cock slowly disappeared inside the slightly smaller male. _‘Clean-shaven and smooth like a baby’s butt.’_ he thought dimply. It looked purely erotic next to the coarse pubic hair that the Uzumaki hadn’t bothered with.

Taking it one fraction at a time he watched how his body oh so slowly merged with the older man’s. Only when he was completely sheathed did he raise his gaze to meet lavender.  
Neji watched those whiskered features with a calm spreading in his heart that he had never felt before. So strong and confident, so beautiful… so fragile. It was as their gazes locked that he knew he was forever branded.

Those mesmerizing cobalt blue eyes, in the span of a second, revealed a bottomless heart and a gentle mind when black pupils suddenly widened to the point where the intense blue was only a thin circle, a barely visible edge… and yet they were completely focused on the raven. The feeling coursing like a lightning bolt through the paler man’s body couldn’t be described it was so many different things. It wasn’t pleasure, far from it, it was pain, joy, sorrow, love and despair… it was as if he in the blink of an eye had been touched by life itself.

So it was as in a trance that Neji watched how blonde leaned down to kiss him but halted a breath away from slightly parted lips… waiting for him to take the next step. Dark lashes slowly fluttered closed… while pale arms rose to wrap around the strong neck to pull him that last breath down. What had begun as raging hormones and uncontrollable lust had evolved into something else, something deeper, something meaningful. Neji sighed into the kiss when hips billowed against his time after another, softly, gently, seemingly never-ending like waves rolling into shore. He didn’t know those blue eyes watched him, waited. He wasn’t going to give it faster than this, not this time.

“…Naruto…” A soft whisper, barely heard, followed by another. “Naruto…” …and another. “…Naruto…”

Azure eyes softened. He hadn’t lied, the Hyuuga whispered his name, **his** name. Suddenly feeling like he actually belonged somewhere Naruto let his hips roll with softer, bigger, motions, soundlessly without the slap of skin against skin, as strong hands whispered over pale skin, exploring, mapping. Restless lips tasted the soft skin where jaw meets ear, breathed hot breath over moistened pale sinews and tendons, nipped at fragile collarbones before trekking up over the vulnerable jugular and chin to once again devour hungry lips… only to leave and rediscover it all again a moment later. Fingertips teased hard nipples with gentle rubs, slid over ribs just hard enough not for it to tickle, one hand whispering in under the paler man to arch up his back in an erotic curve as the other stroked the neglected flesh slowly yet firmly.

Neji couldn’t handle it, the onslaught of sensation was too much! His body tensed, soared way up high in a climax so intense and sweet his heart didn’t know whether to beat faster or slower. He had never felt like this before, coming so hard he saw stars and yet… entirely focusing on nothing else but his lover. He saw it all, saw the sweat glistening on caramel coloured skin, saw muscles tense, work frantically when the blonde finally followed into oblivion, saw those enthralling whiskered features caught in a flinch of pleasurable pain at the first second of falling… saw how incredible cerulean never once left his.

Naruto blinked at the sudden soft smile he was graced with. His lungs were still demanding more oxygen, his body trembling above the paler man’s from the lack thereof, his head was spinning from all the input… and still he somewhere found enough strength to pull out and pull the raven into a gentle embrace having laid down next to him.  
“Gather your stuff, Uzumaki.” Neji murmured softly against the heartbeats underneath his lips. “You’re coming home with me.”  
“…sensei?” the younger of the two asked unsurely.

The Hyuuga rose up on his elbow and caressed a whiskered cheek lovingly.  
“My bed is bigger.” he mused. “I want more of you you see and I prefer to have you in a bed where neither of us will fall off if we roll around.” A slim eyebrow rose as he glanced towards the other bed in the room. “And **my** apartment isn’t littered with dirty laundry.” he added sourly.

“Promise me this isn’t just a fling and I’ll go with you.” came the low pleading voice towards him. “Tell me this can become something more, no matter how small the chance, and I’ll hold you whenever and however much you want me to.”  
Neji suddenly straddled the tense form, shamelessly enjoying how his ass twitched for more. His smile was wicked.  
“You’re not my favourite student.” he purred, licking his teeth like a cat watching the canary. “In fact…” He leaned down to ghost his lips over the ones of his lover. “…I believe you're in dire need of supplementary lessons.”

At first the blonde only blinked at him, obviously confused… but then it clicked and he pulled the older man down into a mind-blowing kiss.  
“Perhaps.” he chuckled. “Perhaps.”

-

Two and a half years later…

-

People cheered, hats flew through the air, there were an abundant supply of flowers, children and grannies and seemingly endless amounts of balloons. It was college graduation. Minato clutched the bouquet hard where he stood waiting for his son to finish his last goodbyes and best wishes for the future with his former classmates… a son he hadn’t seen in almost three years. Naruto hadn’t come home for any holiday and he had landed a job every summer, taking away what little time there would’ve been for travel… he had asked the Namikaze to simply back off and give him time. A heartbroken Minato hadn’t had any choice but to obey… despite it ripping him apart inside.

The older blonde perked when sky-blue eyes that seemed to much older and mature than last time he saw them turned to him. He swallowed hard.  
“Congratulations!” he pressed out, holding out the flowers. “I’m so proud of you!”  
Naruto nodded slowly, scratching his cheek awkwardly while accepting the bouquet.  
“Yeah…not many would’ve thought that the guy who barely graduated high school would turn out to be the top of his class in college.”  
“I really am proud of you, son.” Minato hesitantly wrapped his arms around the other… only to hold him hard when the Uzumaki unsurely answered the hug… along with the soft words;  
“Thanks… dad.”  
“Gods, I've missed you so much, look at you!” Resolutely ignoring the tears running down his cheeks or the slightly cracked voice, the Namikaze held the other at arm lengths distance. “I didn’t think you'd grow more but you’ve become so tall! And handsome!”  
“I grew up when you weren’t looking.” Naruto mumbled… taking a slow step back. “I became the man I was supposed to be.”

“Cant-… can’t we go back to how things once were?” Minato almost whispered in his desperation. His despair though was met with a slow yet firm shake of the head.  
“No, that’s impossible.” the younger blonde sighed… but then pressed out a small smile. “But we can start over. Over time we might get close again.”  
“Naruto-” the Namikaze began but was cut off by a low voice.  
“You did it, Uzumaki.”

Completely ignoring the older blonde Naruto turned towards the voice and neatly scooped the raven up in a crushing hug, smiling happily while spinning them around, neatly causing slim glasses to slide lower on the pale nose.  
“Yes, I did it!” he cheered before pushing a very passionate kiss to softly smiling lips. “We can finally start our **life** together!”  
Neji swatted the Uzumaki over the head with a sigh when they heard the slightly embarrassed cough from the side, absentmindedly pushing the glasses back up again.  
“Introduce us, you big dufus.” But he did very much enjoy the kiss.

The whiskered man grinned but after another dizzying kiss did as asked, holding a hand possessively against the paler man’s small.  
“Neji, this is Namikaze Minato, my dad.” The look in cobalt blue eyes softened as they looked at the raven. “Dad, this is Hyuuga Neji, my precious lover… and former professor.” he murmured. “He quit teaching and returned to his firm for me. We’re going to draw and build a house together, a place just for us, made by us.” The younger male suddenly blinked at his silent old man. “Speaking of which… where's Nara?”  
“He’s waiting at home, I didn’t want him to come.” Minato said lowly. “I didn’t think you'd like that.”  
“Wise decision.” was the low desert dry answer from Neji who cut in before the other two could say anything. “Anyways, lose that getup and let’s hit the road. We have a long drive ahead of us.”

“You’re going somewhere?” the Namikaze pressed out. He had waited for three years to see his son, how long would he have to wait before the next meeting? Decades?  
“We’re actually going to Konoha.” Naruto laughed out loud at the following stupefaction from the older blonde. “I’ve been working constantly to save up money for our house and now when I've finished school I wanted to go on a road trip… but since I didn’t actually think you'd show up here we planned on surprising you.” Turning around to walk away he winked over a strong shoulder, smiling warmly. “See ya at home… right?”  
Minato only nodded as the two left, already gibbering about routes and who was going to drive the first portion of their surely amazing journey. He felt so very lonely and left behind.  
“…yeah, see you at home.”

-

“Stop fidgeting, Minato, he’ll be here sooner or later… and you're wearing down the carpet in front of the window.”  
“But it’s been two weeks! They said they'd be here today!”  
“They went on a **road trip** while you took a **plane** back… not to mention I'm sure they took one or two detours so they might be a bit late. Calm down before you give yourself more grey hairs.” Shikamaru sighed. But truth was he wasn’t as calm as he appeared. He too wanted to see the Uzumaki again. How had his best friend fared without him? He had called him a few times during the years he had been away but the call had always been cut off as soon as the blonde heard who it was. Not to mention his room upstairs had been locked for three long years. According to Minato though, and he hadn’t had much more contact he, the Uzumaki had done well for himself… he had even found a lover.

Both men jerked towards the window when they heard the sound of a car pulling up on the driveway followed by an engine being turned off… and then the sound of happy laughter.  
“I can’t remember the last time I heard that sound.” Minato said lowly, closing his eyes to simply listen while smiling warmly. “I've forgotten the sound of my son’s laughter, who would’ve known it would ever go that far.” Opening his eyes he pressed a soft kiss to the brunet’s forehead and then went to open the door. Both Uzumaki and Hyuuga had already dived into the trunk grabbing their bags, arguing about whether the huge inflatable mattress was needed or not.

“I’m telling you, the bed is tiny! We’ll roast each other before dawn!”  
“Roasting one another didn’t stop us from sharing a sleeping bag when we went on that dog sledding trip last year!”  
“That was in the middle of winter, we were sleeping in a Lapp cot and it was below 40 degrees!” Naruto huffed hauling out the bag containing the mattress and belonging pump. “We won’t **fit** in the **bed** so we’ll sleep **together** on the **floor!** ”

Neji couldn’t really argue when his lover put it that way so he let go and sighed, looking up at the sound of someone approaching.  
“Namikaze-san.” he greeted lowly, discreetly touching Naruto's arm. “Is that-…?” he mumbled, absentmindedly grabbing his duffel.

The Uzumaki looked up questioningly… erasing all expressions when he saw the man standing in the doorway.  
“Sure looks like it.” he mumbled just as lowly while grabbing his backpack and closing the boot. “I had conveniently forgotten he moved in the same day I moved out. Let’s see how long we can ignore **this** elephant, shall we?” He offered the older blonde a little smile… before throwing the heavy bag to him, earning a low grunt. “Here to help carry?”

Minato caught it only mentally cursing for not having been prepared for the weight.  
“I've left extra linen and towels in your room.”  
“Thanks.” Blue eyes turned to the Nara. A blonde brow rose. “Long time no see… Shikamaru.”  
“Welcome back, Naruto.” came the low answer. The brunet looked up at the Uzumaki, offering a little smile.  
He got none back, only a curt nod.  
“Excuse me, I have to carry this upstairs.” Having taken a large step around the paler man Naruto calmly went up the stairs.  
Neji shrugged at the begging looks directed at him from the two remaining men.

“Don’t expect me to appease him.” he cemented his standing. “You wouldn’t believe the damage you’ve caused or how broken he was after the number you played on him. It took me weeks just to get a **real** smile out of him and not one tinted by sorrow. To me it’s a farting wonder he came here at all.” He nodded in greeting at the silent Nara as he passed him in the door. “Introductions will have to wait a little longer, Nara-san, I believe I have a slightly miserable lover upstairs.”  
Shikamaru, much like Minato, couldn’t but nod and accept it.

-

Neji closed the door behind him silently, only to raise an eyebrow at the spectacle that met him when he turned around.  
“I guess we’re sleeping on the mattress regardless?”  
Naruto was standing more or less doubled over, the plastic unfolded on the cleared floor… pumping away for King and Fatherland on the small plastic pump.  
“I will **not** … let **you** sleep… in **that** … bed!” he growled between pants and heavy breathing. “I fucked **him** in it… so I don’t want **you** in it. It'd make me gag.”  
“He’s not a contagious disease, love.” the raven mumbled. “And besides, all that was a long time ago.”  
“Not long enough.” The Uzumaki closed his eyes and sighed… but kept pumping, albeit at a slower and more merciful tempo.

“I know he's not… it’s just that I haven’t really gotten over a few things yet. This room in particular holds many memories, many of which I’d prefer to forget.” he murmured.  
Blue eyes blinked when the Hyuuga flopped down on the huge mattress followed by a loud _PSCCCCHHHHHHH_. “Wha-!” he began but a pale hand quickly put the plug in not to lose more air, while the other simply grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him closer after the glasses had been put on the floor.  
“It’s been a long day… let’s take a nap.”  
“I'm not a toddler, I don’t wanna-”  
“I **said** … let’s take a **nap.** ” A dark brow twitched.  
Naruto obediently flopped down without a word. Nothing good came when that eyebrow started twitching, he had learned that the hard way long ago, first in school and then at home.  
Before he knew it he had fallen asleep in his loved one’s arms.

-

“Where’s Naruto?” Minato asked when the Hyuuga came down to the kitchen a few hours later.  
“Sleeping. He needed a break.” Ivory eyes turned to the silent brunet by the table. “Nara Shikamaru-kun, I presume? I've heard a lot about you. My name is Hyuuga Neji.”  
“My pleasure.” came the low answer. “So you're Naruto's new lover?”  
The look in lavender eyes through gleaming glass as Neji flashed him a little smile was positively glacial.  
“New? I was under the impression there were no **lovers** before me.”

Absolutely stunned by the verbal slap Shikamaru only stared at the raven, his mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out.  
“Hyuuga-san, that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Minato tried but now it was his turn to get a whack of the ladle. Neji had wanted to give these two one generous piece of his mind each since he got to know everything and he sure wasn’t going to hold back now when he had the chance and Naruto couldn’t interfere.

“No, it’s not harsh enough.” he snapped. “It’s about time you two learn what you’ve done to him and before you start whining apologies I want you to know **exactly** what your actions have led to. Naruto didn’t have **friends** the entire first **year** in college. Because he was so distrustful and withdrawn his own **classmates** barely knew his name! Every holiday he lied to the teachers saying he was going home when he in fact stayed as the only student left at an otherwise completely deserted campus. The only reason we’re here at all is because **I** made him come home.” Pale eyes narrowed angrily at the silent men. “He came up with countless excuses not to since he didn’t want **me** to come here and why do you think that is? It’s because underneath the surface he's petrified I’ll be attracted to either of you and leave him like both of you did. I **know** he wasn’t so insecure before but that’s what he's become because of you, **that's** the irreparable damage you’ve caused, both of you together.”

Obviously getting no reply from the other two Neji turned to leave but gave the older man an onceover over his shoulder. He didn’t look impressed at all. _‘Like two peas in a pod.’_ he thought not bothering with the Nara. “I don’t understand how he can even begin to think I’d be even remotely drawn to either of you considering I demand a certain level of loyalty in my lovers, one you both lack.” Sighing he turned his gaze back to the stairs leading up but gave them one last whack to make sure the point really came across. “One sacrificed his best friend, the other sacrificed his son… I truly hope you both find the price worth what it gained you.” He didn’t bother waiting for a reply. What he had said was the truth and they all knew it.

-

“How are you feeling?”  
Exhausted blue eyes blinked at the smiling raven straddling slender hips. There was a gleam in those pale eyes that told him the Hyuuga felt extraordinarily smug about himself.  
“He~er’s Johnny.” he mumbled tiredly, earning a grimace from the older man. “Redrum.” he muttered.  
“Horrible parallel drawn, Uzumaki, plain tasteless really.”  
“It’s what I feel like.”  
“Well, let’s just be thankful we’re not at an abandoned hotel full of ghosts, shall we?” The Hyuuga grinned. “Let’s fuck.”  
“Wha- _hurk!_ ” Naruto choked on the shirt as it was unceremoniously pulled over his head in his thunderstruck state. Pale hands had gotten as far as his pants when he finally snapped out of it and caught slender wrists, after some struggling with the fabric strategically left around his elbows. Not that it seemed to stop the other much. “Now wait a little! I don’t want to fuck!”

Neji smiled a smile that had the younger male bracing himself and swallowing hard… as his hands were guided inside the Hyuuga's jeans to a very firm rear. The glasses on the pale nose sure did give those lavender eyes a dangerous glint when he looked over the edge like that.  
“Sorry, love, let me rephrase that for you. Let’s make such hot and raunchy love that I’ll get rub-burns from this mattress. Love me so passionately I’ll be sore until tomorrow.” The paler man licked openly over a trembling bottom lip, his eyes gleaming as a pale hand slowly removed the glasses and let them carefully slide down on the floor to safety. “And then let’s repeat it all.”

He was determined to get the major part of the tension out of this bloody room, the blonde’s mulishness be damned! But oh what a lovely way to get rid of it he thought as he thought he heard a snapping sound only to the next second find himself on his back on the mattress, a growling blonde looming closer. _‘Oh yes… what a lovely way to burn…’_

-

The evening found the younger blonde out on the porch sitting in the hammock simply enjoying the warmth under a blanket shared with his lover. Neither said anything, feeling everything had been said already.  
However, there was someone who hadn’t gotten the chance to speak up yet. Shikamaru.

“Can I talk to you, Naruto?” His voice was low… but free of pleading, something that had the Hyuuga giving the brunet a mental nod of approval. Seems as if he had taken the critique to heart despite the pitilessness of it.  
Ivory eyes met blue in a quick glance before Neji with a soft kiss to warm lips mumbled something about tea and went inside.

“What do you want, Shikamaru?” the Uzumaki sighed when the door closed behind the raven.  
“I want you to understand.” Shika said lowly. “A lot of things have changed these past three years.”  
The Nara was offered an incredulous look.  
“…oh, really?”  
“Minato **changed** when you moved. He became someone completely different for a while, he didn’t start behaving like the man I fell in love with again until he saw your invitation to college graduation.” The Nara sighed flopping down in the hammock next to the other. “You crushed him.”  
“Funny you should say that considering he seemed just as depressed **before** I left.” Naruto said calmly. “Don’t be fooled, he has had relationships since mom died but none of them lasted very long. You on the other hand made an impression strong enough to drive him straight to the bottle again.”  
“You think he didn’t drink after you left?” the brunet snapped. “He’s been suffering all this time, of course he drank! And like a sponge too! It’s a miracle he managed to stop before he became an alcoholic!”  
“And whose fault do you think that is?” Steely cobalt blue eyes met despairing dark ones. “In your selfish quest for love you broke up a happy family, Shikamaru, the only family I had. The bond dad and I shared is no more… because of you. You were important enough for him to overlook that.”  
“I can’t help who I love, Naruto!” Shikamaru whispered desperately. “He’s my everything!”

“Then you better work damn hard to make sure he's happy because I won’t be there to help you.” the Uzumaki said lowly looking out over the street. “I'm putting all **my** effort into making sure **Neji** is happy now. Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve been around today if it hadn’t been for him.” The blonde smiled softly. “He helped me come to terms with things, to get closure and move on. I have a job at his firm, we’re gonna build a house together, I have a bright future with a man I love to bits to look forward to… I guess I should thank you for your screw-up.” Naruto glanced at the Nara from the corner of a blue eye. “Can you say the same?”  
As the night fell over the two young men… the question remained unanswered.

-

“I don’t hear any punches being thrown out there, is everything alright?”  
The Hyuuga chuckled while helping out with the dishes. He smiled grabbing a towel to dry plates.  
“Of course it is. I have a hard time imagining Naruto punching anyone.”  
A blonde brow rose… rather dryly.  
“I don’t.” came the sour answer.  
“He used to fight?” Neji asked curiously reaching out for a glass.  
“Let’s just say that he was quite the energetic child and that I always made sure to stock up on gauze and Band-Aids.” Minato sighed. Then he glanced at the younger male. “So… you're his professor?”  
“Was. In architectural history. I was asked to teach a course or two a few years ago since I specialize in restoring historical buildings and ended up staying longer than planned… I got stuck in it I guess. Thanks to Naruto I'm back where I belong, to restoring old houses.”  
“I thought relationships between teachers and students were prohibited?”  
The paler man smirked.  
“They are.” He shrugged at the disbelieving look. “He caught my attention with his grades.”  
“Straight A’s, right?”  
“More like F’s and E’s.” came the blunt answer… causing the Namikaze to nearly drop a plate.  
“Pardon?”

“He was more or less flunking my course when I realized he had perfect scores in everything else. It-… irked me.” Pale eyes glanced at the blonde. _‘Definitely like peas in a pod… and yet so utterly different. How peculiar.’_ “Turns out, in the beginning he couldn’t focus because another student in class looked a lot like Shikamaru-san. That of course I didn’t find out until long after we had started dating.” Neji sighed heavily noticing the older man having stopped moving… although his hands trembled. “Moving out is probably the best he could’ve done.” he murmured lowly. “By simply falling in love with the wrong person you caused him great emotional trauma and it sure wasn’t easy to make him open up to me, not even after months together.”  
“I-…I couldn’t help it!” Minato pressed out. “It was too intense!”  
“I definitely don’t blame you for falling in love, Namikaze-san, sooner or later we all do and love **is** a precious gift… but you handled it wrong.”

“Don’t you think I know that? My own son barely spoke to me for a year and all conversations thereafter were nothing but meaningless pleasantries! Where we used to literally talk about everything and anything we can now barely talk about the weather! I lost that!” the frustrated blonde snapped. He was angry, hurt… he was sad.  
“You have a lover whom you can have those deep conversations with now.  
“It’s-… not the same.”

“Would you have changed it?” Neji asked lowly focusing on drying another plate rather than looking at the other man. “Knowing what you know today, would you have changed anything?”  
Blonde lashes fluttered closed.  
“Everything.” he whispered. “Everything.”  
“The price was too high.” the raven mumbled. “And the one who ends up walks away with all the happiness is me.” He smiled softly offering the confused Namikaze but a glance from the corner of an ivory eye. “I’ll put a ring on his finger, Namikaze-san, I’ll make sure he's happy and taken care of so start focusing on your own love life before you lose the very reason behind your choices. You won’t get your son back but if you work **really** hard you just might a precious friend in him… so be grateful.”

For a moment all Minato could do was blink at the other… and then smile slowly… and at last chuckle. How had he failed to see that all this time? Wasn’t that what Naruto had said all along? Be grateful?  
Yeah, he was, very very grateful.

Both older men turned towards the hall at the sound of the screen door opening and closing. Neji winked at the silent Nara offering him the towel as he passed on his way into his lover’s arms. The younger blonde and his precious shared a sweet kiss, smiled lovingly at each other and then headed upstairs.

A confused Shikamaru looked after them not quite sure what to say or do. He blinked when warm hands gently cradled his cheeks to turn his face upwards… and he was met with a warm expression that he hadn’t seen in three long years. He wasn’t aware of the tears softly rolling down his cheeks as he stared at those wonderful _loving_ eyes.  
“Mi- Minato?” he croaked.  
His answer was a soft smile… and gentle kisses to his face.  
“I love you, Shikamaru… I had forgotten but never again. I love you.”  
The Nara did the only thing he could… he clung to the larger man… and cried.

-

The next morning…

-

“You look suspiciously peachy, old man.” Naruto said warily having entered the kitchen only a few minutes earlier… and seen the other’s face. Minato though didn’t say anything, only kept on preparing breakfast… while happily whistling on a little tune. A blonde brow rose when the Nara came downstairs, limping up to the older blonde fully intending to get a good morning-kiss.

The Uzumaki screwed his eyes shut, turning around whimpering when his dad gave the brunet’s rearend a fond squeeze… something that earned him a low moan.  
“Sweet baby Jesus, pass me the brain bleach!” he whined. “Please remember that I only actually accepted your relationship as late as yesterday! Keep your foreplay away from me for at least another year… or ten!”  
“Is not foreplay.” Shikamaru smirked reaching into a cabinet after teacups. “It’s afterglow.”  
The younger blonde grimaced.  
“I did not need to know that.”  
“You thought our relationship was platonic?”  
“Considering what situation I caught you two in three years ago I have thought no such thing.” came the sour answer. “I'm happy you have clothes on to begin with.”  
“You’re the one who couldn’t keep quiet last night.” Shika answered just as calmly. “I couldn’t hear my own thoughts because of you.”

“Who couldn’t hear what thoughts?” a curious Neji asked coming from upstairs. His hair was still slightly damp after a shower and there was still some steam just around the edges of his glasses.  
“Nothing, love.” Naruto said, grabbing the newspaper and flopping down by the table. He merely nodded thanks when the older blonde poured tea for him.  
“I couldn’t hear my own thoughts over the loud moaning and whimpering from your room last night.” the Nara ground out claiming the seat next to the Namikaze reaching out for the French press, not liking to be ignored by the younger blonde. The Hyuuga only blinked… and then with a kiss to his lover’s temple sank down in a chair.

“No such thing.” he stated coolly. “We didn’t have sex. It must've been your own noises you heard.”  
“I heard ya.”  
“Shikamaru-”  
“No, I **heard** them! They were louder than we were!” The brunet of all people was like a dog with a bone, he refused to give up… despite his lover’s careful attempts to stop him.

Neji though, mulish as he could be, refused to budge either, only absentmindedly put a toast on his plate while taking the raspberry jam a strong hand held out to him. The two blondes wisely stayed out of it.  
“We did not have sex.” he growled. “My lack of a limp is proof enough, Shikamaru-san. Besides, if we had had it, it would be truly uncouth of you to mention it, especially by the breakfast table.”  
“It’s not as if I'm the only one who heard you.” Shika growled. “And your ‘lack of a limp’ says more about him than you.”  
“We didn’t have sex!” the raven snapped and turned to the Uzumaki trying really hard to focus on the news. “Naruto, tell the insolent brat we didn’t have sex!”

“We didn’t have sex.” the younger blonde answered obediently, lifting his teacup to sip. Before anyone had had a chance to say anything more, he continued. “He only sounds like that when I deep throat him.” Paying more attention to the Culture section he completely missed his father choking on his coffee… or the Hyuuga staring at him utterly horrified and completely gobsmacked… with a healthy pink steadily claiming more of the pale cheeks.

While the raven sank back down in his seat, whimpering in humiliation, and while absentmindedly slapping a coughing Minato's back, the Nara frowned at his former best friend.  
“You never deep throated **me** when **we** fooled around.” He sounded slightly robbed.

It earned him a razor-sharp but a second long glance over the edge of the paper. Naruto's voice was deceivingly sweet when he answered, again focusing on the news.  
“You’re not **big** enough to reach my throat.” he mumbled while turning a page.

As Neji openly smirked at the dumb shot brunet Minato decided to abandon ship and simply flee the kitchen. He knew what waited once he and Shikamaru were alone and he sure didn’t mind but he wasn’t stupid enough to add fuel to the fire. After all, he **was** fully aware of his lover’s competitive side underneath the lazy surface and without doubt it had been triggered this morning.  
He sighed where he stood in the bathroom, hearing noise from the kitchen. _‘I've become so old these last three years.’_ he thought as he watched himself in the mirror. But then he smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: ; I don’t own Naruto, do I want to. Too troublesome. Neither do I profit from writing this fic. Also unbetaed.
> 
> Thank you, sweetie, for sharing your amazing work with us all and I hope you’ve enjoyed this little ficlet here. You’ve inspired me to write a side-pairing that I probably would’ve never touched otherwise and I have to say that it was really a fun experience despite it having such a small role in this story. Keep them good stuff comin’, darling! 8D
> 
> I do NOT give permission to have any of my works put up on Goodreads or any other such site.


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